Returning to Hogwarts
by cleotheo
Summary: Five years after leaving for America Harry and Ron return to Hogwarts as part of a team looking to open a new magical school. During their visit they reconnect with Hermione and discover how different her life is without them in it.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - This is just a short four part story, and hopefully I will get the other three parts up later this week. Enjoy!**

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Headmistress of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall, was busy doing paper work when an owl suddenly flew into her open window and perched on the desk. McGonagall was momentarily surprised by the owl's presence, it was well past breakfast time which was the normal time for owl's to deliver post at Hogwarts. Once she had recovered her composure she removed the attached letter from the owl's ankle, the owl then quickly took off back out the window once the letter had been removed.

Looking at the letter in her hands McGonagall didn't recognise the writing so she opened it with a hint of caution, despite the war being over for several years it still paid to be vigilant. McGonagall's eyes quickly fell to the bottom of the page where they widened at the sender's identity, Harry Potter.

Six years ago Harry and his best friend, Ron Weasley, had left for America with a team of Auror's to track down the few remaining Death Eaters. When the other Auror's had returned a year later Harry and Ron weren't with them, instead in their places were two letters to the Weasley family explaining the two boys had decided to stay on in America for a while.

McGonagall knew for a fact that since their failure to return home letters from Harry and Ron had been few and far between, which made her receiving one all the odder. McGonagall was still in regular contact with Molly Weasley and she knew the witch received a couple of letters a year, if she was lucky. She also knew that the other third of the boy's trio, Hermione Granger, hadn't heard from either of her friends in over two years.

Curious as to what Harry could want from her McGonagall began to read the letter. It soon transpired that somehow Harry and Ron had gotten involved in the opening of a new magical school in Boston and they wanted permission to come and visit Hogwarts with a few of the people involved in the new school to show them how a good wizarding school should be run.

Thinking over the proposal McGonagall could see no problems with the visit in theory. There was however someone she wanted to consult before writing back and arranging an official visit with Harry. Placing Harry's letter in her desk drawer, McGonagall finished her paperwork before leaving her office in search of the person she wished to speak with.

McGonagall headed straight towards her old Transfiguration classroom, where she found the witch she was looking for. McGonagall stood in the doorway for a few minutes, watching as Hermione prepared for her next class. McGonagall had always thought Hermione would make an excellent Professor and she had been proven right, the young witch was a superb teacher and while she might be strict she was also well liked amongst the students.

Making her presence known McGonagall stepped into the classroom, shutting the door behind her. She wanted to talk to Hermione in private and would rather they weren't interrupted by a student.

"Minerva, what can I do for you?" Hermione asked with a smile. It had taken her a while to get used to calling McGonagall by her first name but the fact the older witch had been such a support for her had helped.

"I just want a brief chat." McGonagall replied. "I received an interesting owl earlier." She then went on to tell Hermione about the contents of Harry's letter.

"What does this have to do with me?" Hermione asked. "Surely it's your decision if you let them come or not."

"Ultimately it is, but I wanted to consult you first." McGonagall said. "I know you haven't heard from either Harry or Ron for a few years and I want you to be comfortable with their presence, if I sanction their visit."

"Its fine, Minerva." Hermione shrugged. Yes, it hurt that her supposed best friends hadn't contacted her for years but it wasn't as if it had stopped her from living her life. "If you want to allow the visit, I'm perfectly okay with that."

"And what about my Potions Master, how will he feel about their return?" McGonagall asked. "I'm assuming Harry and Ron know nothing of that situation."

"You're right, Harry and Ron don't know of my marriage, but that's only because they don't keep in touch. They don't even know Ginny just got married." Hermione told McGonagall. "And as for Draco, I politely suggest you ask him yourself, but knowing him I don't think he'll mind in the slightest. In fact he'll probably quite enjoy letting Harry and Ron know how much things have changed in their absence."

"As long as he doesn't cause trouble." McGonagall frowned slightly at the possibility of a confrontation between one of her Professors and two visitors to the school.

"I think Harry and Ron are much more likely to cause trouble than Draco." Hermione said. "But if it helps I'll talk to him and make sure he behaves whenever the visit takes place."

"You're talking as though the visit is already planned, Hermione. I haven't made a final decision yet." McGonagall said, raising an eyebrow at the younger witch.

"Yes, you have." Hermione replied with a chuckle. "If you weren't planning on allowing the visit you never would have spoken to me."

"You know me so well, my dear." McGonagall chuckled, heading for the door. "Anyway I'll leave you too it. Thank you for being so co-operative, let's hope your husband is just as easy to deal with."

"I'm sure you'll convince him to play nicely." Hermione chuckled as McGonagall left her classroom.

After leaving Hermione, McGonagall headed down into the dungeons. She hadn't originally intended on speaking to Draco about the visit of Harry and Ron but the more she thought about it the more she thought she should broach the subject before sending a response to Harry. It was no secret that in their school days that there had been serious problems between Draco and the Gryffindors, but while Draco and Hermione had settled their differences McGonagall was aware that when Harry and Ron went overseas there was still bad blood between them and the former Slytherin. Then there was the fact that Draco and Hermione were now married, something McGonagall couldn't see the two former Gryffindors approving of.

When she reached the Potions classroom she found a lesson was taking place. Entering the classroom McGonagall couldn't help but notice that despite the fact Draco was sitting at his desk doing some paperwork the whole room was silent, except for the noises coming from the cauldrons. It wasn't the first time that McGonagall had noticed that like Severus Snape before him Draco Malfoy had the ability to control his class with the minimum of effort, his mere presence was usually enough to ensure a productive working environment.

"Professor McGonagall, what can I do for you?" Draco asked as the headmistress approached his desk.

As she told him of Harry's letter and the potential visit McGonagall couldn't help but wonder about the way Draco had addressed her as Professor. With students present first names were never used amongst staff but McGonagall couldn't ever remember hearing Draco call her anything other than Professor. Hermione had always said that it was because she still intimidated him and McGonagall couldn't help but wonder if it was true. If it was true she couldn't help but feel slightly pleased that she was capable of intimidating the Professor that was considered the most intimidating by the students.

"So Potter and Weasley are paying us a visit, that should be fun." Draco smirked.

"I don't want any trouble." McGonagall warned.

"Honestly Professor, when have I ever caused any trouble?" With his wicked smirk and cocked eyebrow McGonagall couldn't help but be reminded of a teenage Draco Malfoy, who was capable of causing trouble in an empty room.

"When have you not?" McGonagall snorted in amusement. She knew that her warnings were actually unnecessary, Draco was one of her most trusted members of staff and she knew he would never dream of causing any trouble that would risk him losing the job he loved.

After a few more minutes conversation McGonagall left Draco's classroom and headed back to her own office. Once in her office she composed a response to Harry and sent it off with her own personal owl, hoping she hadn't made a mistake by inviting him and Ron into the school. She knew Draco and Hermione would behave but she was less sure of Harry and Ron's behaviour, hopefully they had grown up during their time away.

* * *

The possibility of seeing Harry and Ron again played around in Hermione's head for the rest of the day. While she was quite excited at the prospect of seeing her friends once more she couldn't help but be disappointed that they weren't coming specifically to see her or Ron's family, they were returning on a business trip.

Once the last lesson of the day was completed Hermione returned to the quarters she shared with Draco. The couple owned a cottage in Hogsmeade where they stayed on a night and on weekends but until the castle retired for the night they preferred to stay on school premises. As Hermione settled down with a cup of tea she couldn't help but wonder what Harry and Ron would make of her life, and more importantly what they would think about her husband.

When Harry and Ron had left for America, Hermione had only just received confirmation that she had been accepted as a trainee Professor at Hogwarts. At the time she knew that two other people were starting training at the same time as her, she also knew that one of those people was Neville Longbottom, starting his training as Herbology Professor. The other person starting training was a mystery and she didn't discover who else was joining them at school until her first day.

Both Hermione and Neville had been shocked to discover the third person training to be a Professor was Draco Malfoy. What was even more shocking was the fact the blond Slytherin apologised for his past behaviour and offered the hand of friendship to the pair of Gryffindors. Since the three of them were all in the same situation they decided to all stick together and by the end of the first term a solid friendship had been formed.

The trio's friendship flourished over the remainder of their first years training and by the time their training ended after their second year they were practically inseparable in their spare time. It wasn't until nearly the end of their first year as official Professor's that things began to change when Neville began a relationship with Ginny Weasley.

At first Neville would go out with Ginny alone, but then he gradually started to bring Ginny along on their friendly nights out. With Ginny a regular presence in their friendship Hermione and Draco found themselves pushed together a bit more as Neville and Ginny were usually too wrapped up in each other to pay attention to them.

Gradually Hermione and Draco's friendship became an extremely close one that led to the pair getting romantically entangled. Despite the pair getting together almost a year after Neville and Ginny, Hermione and Draco's relationship developed a lot quicker than the other couple and they were engaged a little over a year after getting together. Their engagement was relatively short and they were married at the beginning of the summer holidays, six months previously.

Despite only being with Draco for a little over two years Hermione was confident in her relationship and she knew it didn't really matter what Harry or Ron thought, her life was none of their business any more. Hermione was actually quite surprised that Harry and Ron had faded from her life so significantly, back in school she thought she would always be able to rely on her friends but they had proven otherwise in the last few years. Even Ron's family couldn't rely on them keeping in touch and she knew for a fact that neither of them knew that Ginny and Neville had gotten married over Christmas.

Hermione was so distracted by thoughts of her friends she failed to notice Draco entering the room. It wasn't until her husband collapsed onto the sofa next to her that Hermione realised she wasn't alone.

"You look as though you've had a tough day." Hermione commented as she got up and made a fresh pot of tea.

"I have." Draco sighed. "In my last lesson one of the second years spilt a potion over himself, turning himself green in the process."

"Clumsy." Hermione said, handing Draco a cup of tea. "Even Neville didn't turn himself green in Potions."

"He did everything else though." Draco chuckled. "Neville and I might be friends now and I wouldn't mock him to be cruel, but he was terrible at Potions."

"That's because he was scared of Professor Snape." Hermione retorted as she sat back down next to Draco.

"Most people were scared of Snape." Draco snorted. "Even the Slytherins."

"I can never remember you being scared of Snape." Hermione said.

"That's because I wasn't, I'd known him far too long and far too well to be intimidated by him." Draco replied. "Professor McGonagall on the other hand was far more terrifying."

"Yeah, she could be a bit fierce." Hermione said, remembering the few times she and the boys had gotten into trouble with the head of their house.

"She came to see me today." Draco said, changing the subject. The mention of the Headmistress had brought her visit back into his mind, he'd forgotten all about McGonagall and his wife's former friends when he had to deal with a green second year.

"She came to see me too." Hermione said. "I'm guessing she was telling us the same thing."

"Potter and Weasley?" Draco asked and Hermione nodded. "How do you feel about that?"

"Fine." Hermione shrugged her shoulder. "I'm not going to make a big deal out of it. If they want to talk while they're here that's good, but if they don't it doesn't really matter."

"Do you think they're coming back for good?" Draco asked.

"Who knows." Hermione sighed. "Molly would like it if they did."

"I'm sure she would." Draco agreed. He actually had quite a good relationship with all the Weasley family, Molly in particular had made him feel really welcome in the family when he started dating Hermione.

"Minerva also asked me to ensure you behave yourself." Hermione said, staring intently at her husband. "She doesn't want any trouble."

"So she said. And as I told her, I have no intention of causing any problems." Draco said.

Hermione smiled at Draco before she leant over a placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "Come on, dinner's about to begin, then after that we can go home and forget all about Harry and Ron and their impending visit."


	2. Chapter 2

**Three Months Later.**

Harry Potter and Ron Weasley stood outside the gates of Hogwarts, neither man had seen their old school in some years and it was bringing back a lot of memories. Some of the memories were of the good times they had experienced whilst in school while some were of the final battle in which so many people lost their lives.

"Are you ready?" A feminine voice sounded from behind the men.

Harry and Ron turned to find the three people accompanying them on the trip watching them warily. Two of the people were the Headmaster of the American school, Justin Marks, and the Head of Governors, Dave Townsend. The third person was the Potions teacher, Juliette Summers. Juliette wasn't attending just as a teacher, she was Harry's fiancée and had wanted to support her future husband on his return home.

"We're ready." Harry smiled reassuringly at Juliette.

"Let's go, Professor McGonagall will be waiting and she was always a stickler for punctuality." Ron added, leading the way into the school grounds.

In the ten minutes it took to walk from the school gates to the front doors Harry and Ron pointed out various things and regaled the Americans with tales of their school years. The group were currently laughing about the time when Harry and Ron drove a car into the Whomping Willow when they arrived at the front doors. The doors were standing open and Professor McGonagall was patiently waiting for the group.

"Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, it's good to see you again." McGonagall smiled at her two former pupils.

"You too, Professor." Harry smiled.

Ron also greeted his former Head of House before Harry introduced the three people with him. McGonagall raised an eyebrow when Harry mentioned Juliette was his fiancée but she didn't comment on it.

"I've arranged for us to visit two lessons this morning." McGonagall began explaining how the day was going to work once the introductions were complete. "You specifically requested Potions, so we'll do that but I thought we would start with Herbology."

"Is Neville the Professor?" Ron asked. Before he and Harry had left Neville was talking about teaching Herbology but he wasn't sure if he had followed through with his wish.

"Yes, Neville is the Herbology Professor." McGonagall nodded, wondering if Harry and Ron were going to ask about Hermione.

"It'll be good to catch up." Harry said. "Is Hermione here as well?" He asked, wishing he could remember what subject she had been going to teach. When he and Ron had spoken earlier it turned out neither of them could remember what subject their friend had been studying, although Ron thought it could be Arithmancy.

"Yes." McGonagall nodded again. "Anyway back to the schedule. After the visit to Herbology and Potions it'll be lunch, I thought you might like to experience that in The Great Hall. Then I was thinking Mr Marks and Mr Townsend could accompany me to my office and we could discuss anything else you wish to know about."

"That sounds like a solid idea." Justin Marks said. "We have a lot of things we wish to ask."

"I'm pleased you approve." McGonagall replied, before turning back to Harry and Ron. "While we were talking I thought you two might like to spend the afternoon visiting a few of your old haunts. We can then meet up at four for the Quidditch final."

"Why is the Quidditch final being held today?" Harry asked, puzzled by the mention of the sport that had only ever taken place on a weekend when they were in school.

"It's a change we implemented a few years ago. The finals are now always held on a Friday evening." McGonagall explained. "The move has been met with great appreciation from the British and Irish Quidditch League. They like the fact that students get to play Quidditch at different times of the day and are better equipped to deal with changing game situations if any of them embark on a professional career. In fact in the last three years we've had more students sign for professional Quidditch teams than ever before."

"That sounds great." Ron said. "Which Houses are in the final?"

"I think it's a rivalry you'd appreciate." McGonagall chuckled. "The match is Gryffindor versus Slytherin."

"Excellent." Harry grinned, sharing a look with Ron. "It'll be good to see Gryffindor beat Slytherin again."

"I wouldn't like to bet on it being so straightforward." McGonagall warned Harry and Ron. "Slytherin are very good, they won the Quidditch Cup last year and they practise more than any other team."

"Who knew Slytherins could be so focused." Ron muttered.

"I think it has a lot to do with the Head of Slytherin, he's very passionate about Quidditch and encourages his team to be the best they can be." McGonagall explained. She was thinking of the many times she had seen Draco watching the Slytherin team train, shouting encouragement from the side-lines.

"What about the Head of Gryffindor?" Ron asked. "Why don't they encourage their team?"

"I assure you she does. There is also fierce rivalry between the two Heads and neither of them like losing." McGonagall smiled. While Hermione wasn't really interested in Quidditch she supported her team as much as Draco and especially encouraged them to win against Slytherin.

"It sounds like it'll be an interesting match." Dave Townsend chuckled. He knew from Harry and Ron that the two houses disliked each other with a passion so he was hoping for a good, fierce game.

"I'm sure it will be." McGonagall said, just as the bell rang and students came pouring out of The Great Hall behind her. "Maybe we should make our way to the Greenhouses."

On the way to the greenhouses McGonagall walked slightly ahead with the two wizards while Harry and Ron chatted with Juliette. Harry and Ron were pleased that McGonagall was choosing to spend her time with the wizards they had brought along, leaving them to entertain Juliette. While both men were happy to help get the school off the ground they weren't particularly fussed over hearing all the small details that were needed to keep the school running smoothly.

When they arrived at the greenhouses Harry and Ron were thrilled to see Neville Longbottom standing in the doorway of greenhouse two. McGonagall introduced Neville to the two American wizards before they entered the greenhouse, leaving Harry and Ron to introduce Juliette.

"Harry, Ron, it's good to see you." Neville beamed widely at his former housemates.

"It's good to see you too, Neville." Harry said. "This is Juliette, my fiancée."

"Pleased to meet you." Neville shook the witch's hand as he ushered them into the greenhouse. "Hopefully we can catch up properly, later on."

"Yeah, that'd be good." Ron said.

As Neville headed to the front of the class the visiting group settled near the back. McGonagall quietly spoke to the two wizards during the lesson while Harry and Ron watched in amazement as their formerly shy and quiet friend taught the lesson with amazing confidence. It was clear from the outset of the lesson that Neville was a great teacher, he was clearly an expert in what he was teaching and his passion for Herbology shone through as he spoke. It was also clear that while he wasn't too strict and would probably be unlikely to raise his voice he was well liked and respected amongst the pupils.

At the end of the lesson Harry and Ron quickly spoke with Neville, praising his teaching and promising to catch up over lunch. The group then left the greenhouses and headed into the school.

"We'll have missed the first few minutes of the Potions lesson." McGonagall explained as the group made their way down into the dungeons. "But it's a double lesson and Professor Malfoy has reassured me we won't miss much."

"Malfoy?" Harry had stopped in his tracks at the mention of Malfoy's name and he was now a few paces behind the rest of the group. "Surely you don't mean Draco Malfoy?"

"Yes, I mean Draco." McGonagall had also stopped walking and she turned round to face Harry. "He is one of my best Professors."

"How?" Ron questioned. "He was a Death Eater? He was responsible for Dumbledore's death?"

"Draco has long since been cleared of any charges against him." McGonagall replied sternly. "If either of you have a problem with him I suggest you don't accompany us any further."

"You would throw us out?" Ron asked, shocked that their former Professor was taking the side of a Slytherin who had fought on the Dark Side during the war.

"If you're going to cause trouble, yes." McGonagall stated. "My staff and students are my priority and they come before any visitors to the school. Before we continue I need to know you're not going to cause problems."

Harry and Ron suddenly found themselves the centre of attention as everyone waited for their answers. Neither man was happy about Malfoy's presence in the school but they had a professional relationship with the two wizards who were setting up the school in America and they didn't want to find themselves being outcasts in a project they had originally set up.

"We can behave." Harry said after a dramatic silence.

"Mr Weasley?" McGonagall raised an eyebrow in Ron's direction, waiting for him to speak.

"I won't cause any trouble." Ron reassured the Headmistress.

Satisfied Harry and Ron would behave McGonagall carried on to the Potions classroom. While McGonagall used the time to praise Draco to the two wizards, Harry and Ron used it to tell Juliette snippets of how they remembered the blond Slytherin.

When they arrived in the classroom half the students turned to stare at the visitors. Harry and Ron barely had a chance to look for Malfoy when a cool voice they recognised rang out from near the front of the room.

"You're supposed to be reading the instructions on the board not staring at the people who have just entered the room."

En masse the students turned back to their work as McGonagall settled the group at the back of the class. As they sat down Harry and Ron scanned the room for Malfoy, they had heard his voice but they had yet to see the blond Slytherin. All of a sudden they saw a flash of platinum blond hair at one of the front desks. Harry and Ron watched as Malfoy sat at the desk with a young girl, clearly helping her with something. After a few minutes he stood up and walked over to the supply cupboard, returning a few minutes later with a box of ingredients that he placed on the girl's desk. Even from the back of the class Harry and Ron heard him tell the girl to shout if she needed help before he began making his way towards them.

When Draco arrived at the back of the class McGonagall made the introductions, although she left Harry and Ron out of things. The two former Gryffindors were sitting together and muttering something under their breath to one another.

"Potter, Weasley, if you have something to say I would rather you say it to my face." Draco said. He couldn't quite make out what the two men were saying but he had heard his name mentioned.

"We were just commenting on the fact you seemed to be giving the girl at the front a lot of assistance." Harry said, looking at Draco with distaste.

"But then we realised she was a Slytherin and it all made sense." Ron added, his look mirroring Harry's. "Snape always favoured Slytherins and it seems you're no different."

"Mr Weasley that is enough." McGonagall snapped, unimpressed with Ron's insinuations.

"Actually he has a point." Justin said. "I was also wondering why he was giving that girl special treatment, everyone else seemed to have to do their own work and fetch their own ingredients."

"The girl I was helping is called Lucy Hayes, she's partially sighted." Draco explained, doing his best to hide his anger at being forced to defend himself for helping a student. "Lucy can't read what's written on the board so I prepare her a special sheet with the instructions on and I like to take a few minutes to make sure she can read it alright. As for the ingredients, I have a set marked specially for her but it's not safe to let her go into the supply cupboard so I go and get them for her."

Harry and Ron stared at Draco in shock, amazed that he had made such an effort for one of his students. Justin looked embarrassed that he had judged someone without knowing the facts while Dave and Juliette looked impressed with Draco's dedication. McGonagall wasn't sure whether she should be angry that one of her Professors had been treated so badly or proud for the brilliant way Draco had defended himself.

With the judgements on Draco's character lingering in the air he only stayed at the back of the room for a few more minutes before he returned to his class. Harry and Ron watched Malfoy as he strode around the classroom, helping students when needed and occasionally offering advice. Their mouths fell open in shock when they witnessed him joking with a Gryffindor boy before he returned to his desk.

By the end of the lesson even Harry and Ron had to admit that their former adversary was a good Professor. He was clearly stricter than Neville and at times seemed very intimidating but it was clear the students all liked him and none of them were afraid of asking for his help or advice.

After Potions the group made their way to The Great Hall for lunch. McGonagall had arranged for them to sit at the Professor's table and they took their seats watching the student's stream into the Hall. As they watched everyone arrive Harry and Ron couldn't help but notice that House rivalries didn't seem as fierce, even the Gryffindors and Slytherins looked to be interacting nicely.

When Neville arrived he took a seat next to Harry and Ron and the three men began to catch up. Ron was shocked to hear that Neville was now his brother-in-law, although he ended up feeling guilty when Neville admitted they had tried for months to get hold of him and Harry before finally deciding to go ahead with the wedding regardless. As the men talked about their lives Ron mentioned Hermione, asking Neville how she was doing. Neville wasn't particularly forthcoming on the subject of their friend, he merely said she was good and they would most likely see her later at the Quidditch match.

* * *

**A/N - Thanks for all the great reviews, I appreciate every single one. The third part of this will be up tomorrow and the final part will be up on Thursday. **


	3. Chapter 3

Harry and Ron were pleased to note that Malfoy failed to show up to lunch, it was something that happened regularly according to Neville. They were less pleased however when they asked Neville about him and their former housemate revealed that he was good friends with the former Slytherin. Neither of them bothered to press the subject any further with Neville as they really didn't want to hear about Malfoy and how wonderful he now was.

Shortly before the end of lunch Neville left to get ready for his next class. McGonagall also left with Justin and Dave, leaving Harry and Ron to show Juliette around.

"Where should we start?" Ron asked as the trio stood up and exited the hall.

"I don't know." Harry replied, coming to a halt in the main hallway as he looked around their former school. "I quite fancy seeing if Gryffindor Tower has changed but without the password we can't get in."

"We could always ask someone." Ron suggested. "There's plenty of Gryffindors around the place."

"No self-respecting Gryffindor will reveal the password to three strangers." Harry snorted.

"They might when one of them is The Boy Who Lived." Ron retorted. "I've already seen a few people giving you awed looks, I bet we could find someone so star struck that they give us the password."

"Maybe, or we could just go up and talk to The Fat Lady, she might just let us in." Harry suggested.

Ron agreed, so they set off up the stairs in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. They never made it that far however as when they started up the stairs they found themselves behind two gossiping girls and Harry and Ron couldn't help but listen to the girl's conversation.

"I can't believe how hard this homework is, I swear Professor Malfoy is the toughest Professor going." The first girl said to her friend.

"Tell me about it, I heard her end of year tests are the worst." Her friend responded.

"Ugh, don't say that." The first girl whined. "It's O.W.L.S this year and I can't fail Transfiguration. I struggle enough with it as it is."

"You won't fail." The second girl reassured her friend. "She might be tough but Professor Malfoy is great, if you're struggling she'll help you in a heartbeat. Last year she gave me extra lessons when I fell behind and couldn't cope."

"I wouldn't mind extra lessons with Professor Malfoy, as long as it was the right one, of course." The first girl said with a grin.

"Who wouldn't, the man in gorgeous." The second girl laughed. "Although I don't think he does extra lessons."

"Maybe he saves them for his wife." The first girl said. "I heard a rumour that earlier in the year a seventh year caught the two of them coming out of the Transfiguration classroom one lunchtime looking slightly dishevelled."

"Lucky woman." The second girl sighed.

Still gossiping about their Professors the two girls suddenly turned into a corridor, leaving Harry and Ron staring after them.

"Did you hear that?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, it was rather disturbing. Those girls seem to think Malfoy is attractive." Ron grimaced at the thought. "Fancy having a crush on your Professor, it's just wrong."

"Not that you idiot." Harry tutted at his friend. "I meant did you hear the part about Malfoy's wife being the Transfiguration Professor."

"Yes." Ron nodded. "What about it?"

"Are you not curious as to what sort of woman Malfoy is married to?" Harry asked. "I mean, who in their right mind would marry a former Death Eater."

"Some pureblood bitch who's only interested in his money." Ron suggested.

"Maybe, but should we go and see for ourselves." Harry said with a smirk. "Do you fancy going to see the other Professor Malfoy in action?"

"Sure, I bet she's terrible." Ron laughed. "No wife of Malfoy's is going to be very bright."

"What is your obsession with this man?" Juliette asked as the two friends cackled about their former school rival. "He was a great teacher and he seemed pretty likable to me."

"He's not likeable." Harry told his fiancée. "You didn't know him at school, he was horrible."

"Maybe he was, but he's not like that now." Juliette responded. "Maybe you two should forget the past and move on."

"What does it matter?" Ron shrugged. "We're never going to see him again after today."

"Are we going to pay a visit to Transfiguration then?" Harry asked, steering the subject away from Malfoy before his best friend and fiancée got into a fight over him. "Classes will be starting in a few minutes."

"Yeah, come on." Ron said, turning and heading up another flight of stairs.

"Are you coming?" Harry asked Juliette as he started after his friend.

"Yeah, I think I need to make sure the pair of you don't cause trouble." Juliette muttered, following her fiancé and his best friend as they headed for the Transfiguration classroom.

When they arrived at the classroom the students were just entering the room so they slipped in with them and settled themselves at the back of the room. When the class was settled Harry and Ron could see the back of the Professor, standing at the front of the classroom as she wrote instructions on the board. The witch had brunette hair, which was tied up in a loose bun, was of average height and looked to have a pretty impressive figure.

"Before we begin today's practical work, everyone must complete these questions." The Professor said, not turning round but still holding the classes' attention. "Once you're finished answering them bring them to me and if I'm satisfied, you may start work on your practical Transfiguration."

"That voice is very familiar." Harry whispered to Ron.

"I know." Ron whispered back. "I've heard it before, but I can't think where."

Harry and Ron's whispering caught the attention of the Professor and she whirled round, her eyes widening as she spotted her former best friends at the back of the room. Harry and Ron didn't spot Hermione watching them immediately but after a few seconds they looked up. Harry gaped as he instantly recognised his best friend and worked out what her presence in the Transfiguration lesson meant. Ron however took slightly longer to recognise the sophisticated woman at the front of the class as his former crush.

"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed, finally finding his voice.

"Get on with your work, please." Hermione told her class as she walked towards the back of the room. At Ron's shout they had all turned around, but at Hermione's order to get to work they obeyed, turning back to the front and getting their text books out.

"Hello boys." Hermione smiled at her friends.

"Hermione, it's good to see you." Harry smiled back and gave Hermione a quick hug. "You look great."

"Thanks." Hermione replied.

"Hermione, this is my fiancée, Juliette Summers. Juliette this is Hermione Granger, one of my best friends." Harry made the introductions between the two women as Ron continued to stare at Hermione.

"It's nice to finally meet you." Juliette said to Hermione. "I've heard so much about you."

"It's nice to meet you too, although I'm sorry to say I can't say the same thing about hearing all about you. The boys have been pretty slack with keeping in touch." Hermione replied.

"Sorry." Harry said sheepishly.

"You could have wrote to us." Ron said, entering the conversation.

"I did, all my owls came back with the letter's still attached. You were nowhere to be found." Hermione replied.

Ron opened his mouth to protest some more but he was interrupted by a student calling for Hermione. "Professor Malfoy, can you help?"

"Excuse me." Hermione said to her friends. "I'll be right back."

The mention of Hermione's surname seemed to make Ron realise what was going on, he had been so caught up with seeing Hermione again that he had forgotten all about the reason they were in the classroom in the first place. Sensing Ron was going to explode Harry bundled his friend out of the classroom, he'd known what was happening the minute he spotted Hermione but it had seemingly taken Ron longer to work out what Hermione's presence indicated.

"What are you doing Harry?" Ron asked as Harry manhandled him into the corridor.

"Making sure you didn't get us into trouble." Harry replied calmly. "McGonagall would have thrown us out if you'd kicked off in there."

"Would you blame me?" Ron snarled, pulling out of Harry's grip. "We go away for a while and Hermione marries the bloody ferret."

"Maybe we should hear what she has to say." Harry told his friend. "We might be misunderstanding things."

"How can we misunderstand?" Ron spat. "The kid called her Malfoy. I think it's pretty clear what's going on."

Ron had just finished speaking when the door to the class opened and Hermione and Juliette appeared, Juliette had stayed in the classroom to apologise to Hermione.

"How could you do this to us?" Ron snarled at Hermione as soon as she had shut the door behind her. "He's the enemy, Hermione."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ronald." Hermione snapped at her friend. "We've moved on from the past, Draco isn't the same person he once was."

"Draco is it? What happened to Malfoy?" Ron glared at Hermione.

"As I said, we put the past behind us." Hermione replied. "Besides, it would be weird not to use my husband's given name. It would also get a bit confusing otherwise, considering I'm also a Malfoy."

"You're a traitor, that's what you are." Ron hissed. "Wait until everyone finds out what you've done."

"If you mean marrying Draco, then everyone knows." Hermione said, looking baffled by Ron's threat. "Our relationship isn't a secret."

"My family can't know or if they do they can't like it." Ron snarled.

"Your family are perfectly fine with my marriage." Hermione told Ron. "They were all at the wedding and none of them have a problem with Draco."

"You're lying." Ron said hesitantly, sounding a lot more unsure of himself.

"I'm not." Hermione sighed. "Look, you two went away and didn't bother to keep in touch. It's not my fault if you don't like the way things are when you've returned."

"You're right, I don't like it." Ron said with a sneer. "And I'm not accepting it. You married Malfoy and that was your choice, but I want nothing to do with it or you."

"So we're not friends anymore?" Hermione asked sadly. She'd expected her friends to react badly but she had thought they would at least listen to her.

"No, I don't befriend Malfoy's." Ron took one final look at Hermione before turning and walking away from her.

"Harry?" Hermione turned to the man who hadn't said a word during her confrontation with Ron.

"I'm sorry, Hermione." Harry sighed sadly and ran a hand through his unruly hair. "Ron was harsh, but I agree with the sentiment. I'm not sure I can accept you marrying Malfoy. He was nothing but horrible to you and school and I don't believe someone can change that much."

"Then I guess we're done here." Hermione said stiffly. "Goodbye Harry."

Turning on her heel, Hermione went back into the classroom, shutting the door firmly behind her.

"I can't believe you just did that." Juliette said to Harry. "For years you've been telling me about this amazing friend you have back home, a friend that was there for you during everything you went through with Voldemort and saved your life countless times. Yet you just stood there as Ron laid into her before doing the same, only more politely."

"You don't understand, Juliette." Harry said, shaking his head. "Malfoy was the worst person when we were in school. He was awful to all three of us, especially Hermione, and he has done some terrible things."

"Clearly he's changed. If he was so awful to Hermione and she still married him, what does that tell you?" Juliette asked her fiancé. "People change Harry, they grow up. I think it's time you and Ron grew up before you lose Hermione's friendship for good. Maybe you should take the time before the Quidditch match this afternoon to think about Hermione and whether you really want to lose her from your life."

"I don't want to lose her, but she's married to Malfoy, that changes everything." Harry protested.

"It doesn't change who she is and everything she's done for you in the past." Juliette pointed out. "You and Ron have been pretty bad friends to her for a few years now by not bothering to keep in touch but if you leave here without apologising that will be it, she won't forgive you. Go and find Ron and talk to him, before the Quidditch match you need to have decided what you're going to do. You either apologise to Hermione and try and re-establish your friendship or you leave well alone and that's it, you're done."

"What are you going to do, when I'm talking to Ron?" Harry asked.

"I'm going to go back inside and apologise to Hermione, again." Juliette answered. "She didn't deserve the harsh way she was treated. You and Ron might not have noticed, but she was thrilled to see you both. But of course you ruined it and now even if you apologise she might not forgive you."

When Juliette turned and headed back into Hermione's classroom, Harry was left to go and find Ron. Heading in the direction his friend had disappeared in Harry pondered on his fiancée's words, maybe she was right and he and Ron had lost Hermione for good.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry eventually found Ron sitting by the Black lake, throwing stones into the water and causing the Giant Squid to repeatedly splash its tentacles about in the water. After talking for a few minutes the boys went for a walk, ending up at Hagrid's hut.

Hagrid was amazed that they didn't already know about Hermione and Draco, he then pointed out that if they had kept in touch properly they would have known and would have witnessed for themselves how in love the couple were. Hagrid was appalled to hear about the way they had both reacted to Hermione's marriage and he berated them for some time for treating their friend so badly. After Hagrid had finished his lecture, the trio then set about reminiscing about old times and the adventures they had had in school.

By the time Harry and Ron left Hagrid, the Half Giant had made them promise to apologise to Hermione. All the reminiscing had reminded the boys of all the good times they had shared with Hermione and they both agreed that they had acted harshly towards her earlier that afternoon. Ron especially wasn't sure if he could ever come to terms with her marrying Malfoy, but they both agreed they needed to try and make things right with her before they left.

When Harry and Ron left Hagrid's there was still time before the Quidditch match to talk to Hermione so they headed back into the castle. Unfortunately Hermione wasn't in her classroom, nor was she answering when they tried knocking on her office door. They did briefly wonder about going to see if she was in the dungeons, but they decided against it. Not only did neither of them want to see Malfoy but they knew that if he knew of the way they had spoken to Hermione earlier he would be furious, Harry knew he certainly would be if anyone had spoken to Juliette the way him and Ron had spoken to Hermione.

Without managing to speak to Hermione, Harry and Ron trudged out towards the Quidditch stadium. As they weaved through the crowds of students, making their way towards the staff stand, the pair reminisced about their own playing days. Harry and Ron reached the stand just as McGonagall arrived with Justin and Dave. After a quick catch-up, in which Harry and Ron failed to mention Hermione, the group headed into the stand.

Juliette was already in the stand when Harry and Ron sheepishly made their way over to her. Apologising for what had happened earlier the duo sat down next to her.

"What did you do after we left?" Harry asked.

"I spoke to Hermione, she had a free period after the lesson she was taking so we had a coffee and got to know each other." Juliette said.

"Did she mention us?" Ron asked.

"Briefly. She was clearly upset by what had happened so we didn't dwell on it." Juliette responded. "We spent most of the time talking about her husband and our respective careers."

"Talking about Malfoy, what fun." Ron muttered. He may have been feeling guilty for yelling at Hermione but he still wasn't planning on accepting Malfoy had changed.

"She told me all about their school days and how things had changed between them once they started working here." Juliette explained. "Maybe if the pair of you hadn't flown off the handle, she could have told you the same thing."

Harry was about to agree when he heard Hagrid's booming voice behind them. Turning round Harry and Ron watched their old friend ascend into the box and settle in the back row. Following Hagrid into the box was Hermione, when she saw her friends she looked away, causing both Harry and Ron to wonder if she would even agree to speak to them at all.

"Hermione, come and meet our visitors." McGonagall called out to the younger witch. "Mr Marks, Mr Townsend, this is Hermione Malfoy. Hermione is the Transfiguration Professor and Head of Gryffindor."

Hermione greeted the two men and smiled at Juliette before taking her seat. Harry and Ron were both dismayed by the fact she sat as far away from them as possible. Harry was just about to suggest to Ron they head over and speak to her when there was another commotion at the back of the box. Turning round again Harry and Ron saw Neville entering the box, the smiles that had appeared on their faces at the sight of their friend dropped when they saw who he was talking to, Malfoy.

While Draco pointedly ignored Harry and Ron as he made his way to his seat next to Hermione, Neville greeted them both cheerily before sitting down next to the couple. Harry and Ron watched with interest as Draco slung his arm around Hermione's shoulder and quietly said something to her that made her smile in his direction. For a few minutes Harry and Ron watched the easy interaction between the couple before the start of the game was announced, drawing the duo's attention back to the reason they were in the stand.

When the game started Ron immediately lost himself in the match, his entire focus was on the pitch as he cheered for Gryffindor. Harry however was more interested in watching Hermione. He'd never seen her cheer and shout so much during a Quidditch match before, but she was totally into the match as she encouraged Gryffindor. Harry also couldn't help but notice how she was constantly talking and laughing with her husband, not to mention the continued physical contact they seemed very keen on.

Nearly two hours after the match started it reached a gripping climax as both seekers suddenly dove towards the ground. There were screams and shouts all around as everyone was on their feet, waiting to see which seeker would emerge triumphant. When it was the Slytherin seeker that held up the snitch, half the stadium erupted in cheers while the other half groaned loudly.

At Slytherins victory Ron groaned loudly and dropped back into his seat. Harry however had once again turned his attention towards Hermione, while she looked disappointed her team had lost she was still smiling slightly. Malfoy on the other hand looked positively giddy as he turned to his wife and said something Harry didn't hear over the noise of the crowds. Harry then watched in amazement as Neville handed Hermione a Slytherin scarf, which she wrapped around her neck.

"What the hell?" Ron questioned, looking up just in time to see Hermione in Slytherin colours.

"It's a tradition of theirs." McGonagall said from behind a stunned Harry and Ron. "If Slytherin win, Hermione has to wear a Slytherin scarf and if Gryffindor win, Draco has to wear a Gryffindor scarf."

"Malfoy in Gryffindor colours, that's something I would love to have seen." Harry said.

"It's only happened a few times, but it is rather a sight." McGonagall chuckled. "It's made even more entertaining by the fact he clearly dislikes it, whereas Hermione has no problems wearing Slytherin colours."

"Hermione seems to have no problem with anything Slytherin related." Ron muttered.

"And why should she?" McGonagall asked, unimpressed with Ron's attitude. "Times have changed Mr Weasley, perhaps you need to change with them."

Turning to the rest of the group McGonagall began to usher her guests back down to the ground. The rest of the staff also began making their way out of the stands, including Draco and Hermione. Harry and Ron also left the stand and when they reached the ground they found Hermione, Draco and Neville slowly walking back to the castle in front of them.

"Sort things out." Juliette told Harry. "If you don't do it now, you'll not get the chance. We're leaving soon."

"Shall we?" Harry asked, turning to Ron.

"Yeah, I feel bad for the way I spoke to Hermione." Ron admitted. "Malfoy may be a git but Hermione didn't deserve to be insulted."

Leaving Juliette hovering a bit behind them Harry and Ron quickened their pace so they could catch up with Hermione. Harry was a few paces behind his friend when he called her name.

"Hermione."

Hermione stopped and turned round, finding a nervous looking Harry and a sheepish looking Ron approaching her. Hermione stood where she was as she waited for either Harry or Ron to tell her what they wanted.

"Can we talk?" Harry asked.

"Sure." Hermione replied.

"Alone." Ron glared pointedly at Draco, who had stopped with Hermione and was standing beside her.

"Whatever you have to say you can say in front of Draco." Hermione told her friends.

"We're sorry." Harry said. "We never should have spoken to you like that."

"Yeah, it was really bad of us." Ron muttered.

"I forgive you." Hermione replied. "I suppose you did get a bit of a shock, so I can sort of understand your reaction."

Draco snorted beside Hermione, clearly disagreeing with his wife. Before he had a chance to object however Hermione glared at him, which had him backing down from the scathing comment he was just about to hurl at her friends.

"Is that all?" Hermione asked. "We have a feast to attend."

"We also want to keep in touch, if that's okay." Harry said. "We're sorry for not writing more often, we promise to write every week from now on."

"But we're still not talking to him." Ron said, sneering in Draco's direction.

"You can write if you want and I'll write back, but if you ever expect to have some sort of meaningful friendship again then you have to learn to accept Draco. He's my husband, I love him and he'll always come first. If you're going to be awkward and try and cause trouble, I'm not interested."

Harry and Ron were slightly taken aback by Hermione's steely words and demeanour. Even though they weren't willing to accept Malfoy they still thought Hermione would be more bothered about keeping in touch, it sounded as though she wasn't fussed about what happened between them.

Hermione waited a few minutes to see if she got a response but when none came she turned to Draco and the couple continued to head towards the castle. Still slightly stunned Harry and Ron watched their friend go, unsure if they would ever be able to accept her choice of husband.

"What a mess." Juliette tutted. She'd been watching the entire thing and was amazed by how Harry and Ron had made a pig's ear of apologising. "Come on, the others will be waiting for us."

Juliette passed the boys and began walking back towards the castle. Harry and Ron soon caught up, both of them silent as they wondered how their day had gone so wrong. Earlier that morning they had expected a day of reminiscing about the fun they had in school and maybe a nice friendly catch up with Hermione and Neville. Instead they had spent most of the day either in a state of shock or anger over what had happened in their best friend's life while they'd been away. And to top it all off they had probably lost Hermione as a result of their terrible reaction and inability to let go of the past.

* * *

Hermione stood at her office window watching as Harry, Ron and their group left Hogwarts. She half expected one of them to try and speak to her either during or after dinner in The Great Hall, but both had kept out of her way. After their earlier conversation she had no idea whether they would keep in touch or not, although she suspected the latter was more likely.

"You could go and see them at the weekend." Draco said, coming up behind his wife and wrapping her in his arms. "Neville said they were planning on visiting The Burrow on Sunday to catch up with the family before they return to America."

"They know where I am if they want to speak to me." Hermione said, dismissing Draco's suggestion. "They've known where I was all the time, they just chose not to keep in touch."

"Do you think they'll keep in touch now?" Draco asked.

"I doubt it." Hermione sighed. "Maybe Molly can talk them round but I'm not holding out much hope."

"I'm sorry."

Hermione turned round and wrapped her arms around Draco's neck. "It's their loss, not mine. If they can't accept you and accept I'm happy then they're not the friends I thought they were."

Draco carefully tucked a strand of loose hair behind Hermione's ear. "Maybe we should change the subject to a more cheerful one."

"What did you have in mind?" Hermione asked with a smirk. She had a very good idea what her husband was talking about, earlier that week she had agreed to wear a Slytherin Quidditch jersey in bed if her husband's house won the Quidditch match.

"I thought I could receive my prize for Slytherin winning the Quidditch Cup." Draco replied, briefly brushing his lips against Hermione's.

"We have to go home first." Hermione whispered.

Draco gave Hermione a mischievous grin before he picked her up and carried her to the fireplace and flooed home. Once at home the couple headed to bed and Hermione forgot all about her friend's disastrous visit to Hogwarts. She wasn't going to bother worrying over whether Harry and Ron wanted to get in touch with her, if they did they knew where to find her and as long as they weren't going to insult her husband Hermione was more than happy to keep their friendship alive. If however they couldn't forget the past and move on, it was their loss. Hermione had a great life, whether Harry and Ron choose to be a part of it or not was up to them.

**The End.**

* * *

**A/N - Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. **


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